Shots on Goal

Face Offs Won

HANOVER, N.H. – In a back-and-forth seesaw affair between the No. 8/9 nationally ranked Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team and Dartmouth, the Bobcats earned a hard fought 4-2 victory from Thompson Arena on Saturday. The Bobcat defensive unit killed off a Dartmouth power play with less than three minutes remaining to clinch the victory while senior Kelly Babstock (two goals, one assist) supplied the scoring for Quinnipiac in their first ECAC Hockey win of the season. The road team improves to 6-1-1 (1-1 ECAC Hockey) while Dartmouth remains winless at 0-3 (0-2 ECAC Hockey).

Babstock lifted the team with three points on the afternoon to bump her team-leading total up to 13 (six goals, seven assists) on the season. Saturday's game marked her second time finishing with three points in the team's past three games as she also tallied a hat trick against Maine last Saturday. The goals for the Bobcats' all-time leading scorer give her 82 for her career as she continues to lead all active Division I players in career goals.

Junior Morgan Fritz-Ward (Mason City, Iowa) scored the game-winner late in the second period as she now has scored in consecutive games for the first time in her career. Senior Amanda Colin (Burnsville, Minn.) added an empty-netter with less than three seconds remaining to provide the team with all the insurance they needed. Junior goalie Chelsea Laden (Lakeville, Minn.) made 12 saves in net to move her record for the season to 6-1-1.

The Big Green took advantage of a delayed penalty to score the game's first goal. Nearly seven minutes into the game, the referee signaled a delayed penalty on the Bobcats, allowing for Dartmouth goalie Robyn Chemago to skate off for an extra skater. After some persistent pressure in the Quinnipiac defense zone, Kennedy Ottenbreit poked home a goal while falling to the ice in a scramble in front of the net.

Quinnipiac's top power play unit converted for a goal to answer the Big Green tally earlier in the first period. Sophomore Nicole Connery (Newmarket, Ontario) passed cross-ice to freshman Emma Woods (Burford, Ontario) who ripped a slap shot on net. The puck took an advantageous bounce off Babstock in front and she was able to slide the puck through Chemago's pads to make it 1-1 after the first.

Babstock's incredible goal scoring ability as on full display in the second period as she scored again, this time on an unbelievable individual effort. After winning the faceoff in the Dartmouth defensive end, Babstock fought off a Big Green defender, located the loose puck in front and roofed a backhander past the unsuspecting Chemago to put her team ahead, 2-1.

This time Dartmouth answered with a power-play goal off the stick of Lindsey Allen. Dartmouth's leading scorer Laura Stacey created the play with a wicked slap shot from the slot that Laden saved initially but couldn't smother as it was left out in front for Allen who poked home the equalizer.

The furious second period pace continued late as Fritz-Ward picked up her third point of the weekend with a great effort in front of Chemago's net. The play started with a hard slapper from freshman Taryn Baumgardt (Innisfail, Alberta) at the point that was deflected in front to sophomore Nicole Brown (Oshawa, Ontario). She was able to stuff it on net and Fritz-Ward capitalized as the puck was left right in front of the goal line for her third goal of the season.

Laden and the Bobcat defense held serve throughout the crucial stages of the third period as the team killed off several Dartmouth power play opportunities including the most crucial with less than three minutes remaining. Quinnipiac cleared the puck three separate times in that Dartmouth power play and with Chemago pulled they did so one more time to find the empty-net goal and leave Thompson Arena with a well-earned victory.

The No. 8/9 Bobcats now will return home for their ECAC Hockey home opening weekend with games against Colgate and No. 3 Cornell on the horizon.